Midnight Room [LP] in Bloomington, MN

The sophomore studio long-player from
Greta Morgan
, formerly of the
Hush Sound
and
Gold Motel
and a touring member of
La Sera
,
Midnight Room
is a deep red sunset of an album that flirts with gothic Americana, dreamy west coast indie rock, and bubbling '80s synth-pop. Propelled by a driving rhythm section and some nice, understated production work from
Chris Coady
(
Beach House
Future Islands
), it's
Morgan
's velvet delivery, a rich amalgam of
Johnette Napolitano
Neko Case
Jenny Lewis
, and
Ellie Goulding
, that packs the most punch. She brings a sultriness to otherwise straight-shooting, dusky highway burners like "Face the Moon," "Double Infinity," and the evocative title cut, and when she's not dabbling in
Daft Punk
-esque club jams ("Under My Spell") or smoky,
Lynch
-ian temptations like "Bad Dream Baby," she's channeling her inner
Springsteen
via the gorgeous and torchy Americana closer "Rough Magic." There's a bit of an over-reliance on standard verse/chorus/verse AOR architecture, but
is a compelling enough storyteller and crooner to heat up even the most pedestrian arrangement. ~ James Christopher Monger